One Piece: Reloaded
by Chakenmo
Summary: An alternate story of how things could have gone from Baratie forward, ZoLu and maybe some NamixAce, story will likely span the entirety of One Piece :
1. Action!

_**This is the One Piece storyline, but twisted at the point where the Straw hat crew meets Hawkeye Mihawk… enjoy :)**_

_**ZoLu Pairing later on. I'm very indecisive about the title... it keeps changing.**_

_**PLEASE REVIEW!! It helps me to update faster!!**_

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As Zoro's blades shattered under the force of Hawkeye's attack, the swordsman realized that he was beaten. He had challenged the shichibukai to a duel, but was obviously not meant to win. Even though he couldn't fulfill his promise to Kuina, Zoro had tried his best. It was better to be struck down pursuing a dream than to become a loser just to save his own life.

Throwing his arms out to either side, the former pirate hunter steadied himself for the touch of death. Hawkeye gave it to him with the same blow that destroyed Don Krieg's ship. Only one person was able to react.

"ZOOOOORRRRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOO!"

Luffy's cry did not prevent him from taking action as he leapt across the scattered ship remnants, catching Zoro just inches before he landed in the ocean.

'Zoro sure is heavier than I thought he would be… maybe if he lost some weight he could have beaten Mihawk.'

The Straw-hat Captain carefully dragged Zoro back onto the ship fragment while Hawkeye watched. There was no visible trace of emotion in his expression, only that cold, hard glare of a man that had seen death in all its forms and was no longer bothered with it.

'Why is he just standing there, staring at me instead of attacking? He could easily cut me down too. What should I do?'

Meanwhile, An angry Don Krieg looked on from the side, anxious to get revenge for the loss of his fleet.

"I will never forget the name of Roronoa Zoro. Should we cross paths again, and should he be willing, I will accept a rematch. It is the least I can do for such courage."

Luffy took that to mean his first mate would make a full recovery and smiled his cheek-to-cheek grin. The only question now was how to get Zoro the proper medical treatment. The captain was about to start off for Baratie when an angry cry rang out from Krieg.

"Hawkeye Mihawk! I will avenge the destruction of my fleet right here and now!"

With that, Krieg threw a handful of explosive marbles onto the deck of his former ship, firing the poison darts into the veil of smoke. The explosion threw Luffy and Zoro off the deck, but Mihawk was nowhere to be seen. Straw-hat was not concerned by the man's disappearance in the slightest, grabbing Zoro mid-air as they slammed into the deck of Usopp's rescue ship… HARD.

The long-nosed sniper, as well as their bounty hunter friends were tossed off the ship as it sailed into open waters.

"Hey Luffy come back here and grab me before I drown! The Great Ussop-sama is too young to die in the water! Luffy? LUFFY! HELP!"

Ussop's cries went unheard to the Straw-hat captain, who had fallen unconscious under Zoro's dead weight during the fall. It's a wonder the deck didn't crack from the sheer force of their impact. The Captain and his badly injured first mate were cast out to sea, fueled by the now ferocious winds of the East Blue.

_To be continued…_

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_**Short and simple introduction. **_

_**Continue forward, it gets better with every chapter, and every review!**_


	2. Fight for the Baratie

_**The fight scenes after the small ship's departure. You may notice some differences between it and the actual storyline.**_

_**R&R please. ZoLu in later chapters.**_

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The winds of the East Blue had become fierce around the Baratie. The scene of which was still a battleground, between Don Krieg's Pirates, and the warrior chefs of the Baratie. As the pirates climbed onto the now cracked deck of the floating restaurant, The chefs grabbed Ussop and the two bounty hunters out of the water.

In Krieg's last attack, he had destroyed a fragment of his former flagship. Under veil of smoke and debris, Hawkeye Mihawk had vanished, while Luffy and his badly injured first mate drifted into the storm on a small vessel, originally intended for Ussop to catch up with the Going Merry, stolen by Nami. Only the sniper had noticed it sail off, but he wasn't so much concerned with them as his own survival.

"Now that the garbage has been taken out, let's wrap this up. I'll just use my gas missile mkII to kill the lot of you in one shot. MEN, PREPARE YOUR MASKS!" Don Krieg had decided not to spare the crew of the floating restaurant, but to simply kill them off and escape with the Baratie back into the Grand Line. He had had enough frustrations and distractions for one day.

With the announcement of Krieg's intentions, the normally rowdy chefs become quite pale and silent. Even the pirate's own men were in a state of shock, though somehow all had managed to equip their masks as instructed. Their boss normally liked to have a little fun when commandeering a vessel, slowly finishing everyone off one-by-one.

"Don Krieg, please allow me to fight Sanji before you kill the crew of this restaurant. He's a good man and he deserves an honorable death for his kindness when I had nowhere left to turn." Ghin, the commander of Don Krieg's armada, had his wish granted with a nod of the admiral's head. Frustrated as he was, Ghin would not be denied this simple request. It was less of a headache to let him have his way.

"Ghin, you don't need this guy to boss you around. Besides, I don't want to embarrass you in front of all your adoring fans." Sanji, finally speaking up, earned a roar of laughter from the warrior chefs, and a few insults from the pirates, including some challenges and threats.

Patty decided to throw in some encouragement, "Come on Sanji… you can beat this guy. I took him down no problem just a few hours ago." Sanji merely nodded, remembering the slaughter-fest of the empty-bellied Ghin.

Ghin laughed, replying, "If you're that sure you can beat me, let's go Sanji. But I must warn you, I tend not to stand still during a fight with food in my stomach."

"I'm the only one that would feed you when you were hours away from starvation. After sneaking you a plate of our best food, this is how you repay me? If that's the way it is Ghin, so be it. But I won't let you harm the Baratie, even if it costs me my life." The chef didn't know whether or not he could win, but this was his home, and he owed Chef Zef too much to turn back now.

A momentary wave of guilt swept over Ghin, but it quickly passed, turning into anger and regret. "You… you shouldn't have done that Sanji. I'm about to show you why you don't help the enemy!"

With that, Ghin charged towards Sanji, wielding a large iron mallet in either hand. Sanji quickly dodged to the left, jumped onto his hands, and whirlwind kicked Ghin in the back. The head chef jumped back to his feet, only to find a mallet crashing onto either side of his body.

**CRACK**

Sanji felt it as he came crashing down to the deck at his assailant's feet. The pain was excrutiating, but Sanji was too proud and determined to scream. The chef passed out at Ghin's feet after hearing "I told you Sanji, you're just no match for me."

It wasn't as-if Sanji's efforts were completely in vain however. Ghin definitely felt the spot where Sanji's feet had made contact, and man did it ever hurt. A normal man would have been knocked senseless with a kick like that, but he was no normal man as Don Krieg had discovered during their first encounter…

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_Flashback_

It was a warm day in the town of Creol on the island of Marina. A younger Ghin was searching for the commander of the Navy fleet stationed at that port. It had been awhile since he'd had a good fight, and the Navy were usually easy enough to piss off and lure into a fight.

Suddenly, there was a loud explosion from the south of the large bay, not too far from Ghin. He rushed towards the explosion at full speed, hoping he wasn't too late. The young pirate reached the scene in time to watch a high-ranking navy official fall in front of a much taller man.

He had to be at least 6'6, with a large spear in his hands. The spear was nearly as tall as the man himself, and was covered in gold. The man was wearing a large purple cape, with matching pants and hair. That grin he had on his face after watching the commander fall at his feet was intoxicating… Ghin couldn't help but smile too. The most notable feature of this mysterious man, however, was the gold armor covering his chest and arms. It must have cost a fortune… and be worth it as well.

Ghin charged out of the crowd to stand directly in front of the man shouting "Hey I was looking for this guy. I wanted to have some fun today, and since he's not around, you're my target practice."

The man drew his spear once more and charged towards the young pirate who had just whipped out a large menacing hammer covered in silver. The spear made contact with the head of the hammer, exploding on contact. Ghin was stunned to say the least. Not only did he not expect the explosion, but he didn't expect the crack to appear in his new hammer. No matter, now he knew the man's form of attack and could better prepare for the rest of the fight.

This time, it was Ghin who charged into attack. As he brought his hammer down towards the man's head, he lept backwards, allowing the hammer to make full contact with his golden body armor. The hammer cracked ever so slightly, while the armor shined as-if it had just been polished. From above, Ghin managed to block another blow from the spear with his hammer, but this time, the hammer cracked all the way through. Somehow, the entire weapon had managed to split, leaving Ghin with two large iron sticks with heavy mallets on the end.

Without speaking, Ghin dropped his left hammer and charged with the much lighter right hammer. The man allowed Ghin to hit his left side with the small hammer at full force, but also returned the attack on Ghin's left side with his spear… boom. The mysterious man's armor had managed a faint line on the left side, slightly cracking, but Ghin lay sprawled on the ground, having taken a blow to his left side.

"You're pretty strong… the first I've ever lost to." Having survived the blast, Ghin didn't feel that bad, but his weapon was toast and that armor was practically invincible.

"You survived the explosion from my spear. Join my crew and help me become King of the Pirates. I will reward you greatly and you will gain much power. More than you could ever imagine."

"First, tell me your name."

"I am the great Don Krieg."

Ghin chuckled a bit at the statement…. "Ghin."

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With Sanji knocked out, the chefs were the only ones left to defend the Baratie. Don Krieg prepared his gas missile for fire as his pirates re-equipped their gas masks. The chefs of the Baratie scrambled about, frantically looking for a place to hide from the gas which would kill them in mere minutes. With all the insanity, several forgot about the storm and dove into the water.

"You should have surrendered when you had the chance Red Shoes. Now you and your crew will feel the consequences of that mistake…. DIE!" Krieg fired the missile straight at the old geeza, who had refused to move, even with the impending gas missile. Just before the missile struck Zef however, that mysterious black sword came crashing down on Krieg's missle.

Everyone waited for the explosion, but it never came. "What the…. MIHWAK!" Krieg and his men were in a state of shock. They'd figured that Mihawk had gotten scared of the mighty Don Krieg and fled back to the Grand Line, but here he was, in the flesh.

"I was worried your smoke might stain my chair so I moved my ship around back." For a moment, nobody even dared to breathe. The chefs were in disbelief that the legendary pirate had decided to save them from certain death, the pirates in disbelief that he hadn't fled in fear. Suddenly, a roar of laughter and applause came from the chefs who had just noticed the look on Don Krieg's face.

The admiral was frozen with a look of horror plastered on his face.

"Don't worry about this guy Don Krieg. I'll dispose of him with my fiery pearl attack!" Pearl began beating his stomach until his entire body was covered in blue flames, the fiery pearl of death mode or whatever. Mihawk simply scoffed, sheathing the large sword around his back, and pulling out the toothpick-sized blade he had defeated Zoro with less than an hour before from around his neck.

Pearl charged towards the legendary swordsman, fiery fists thrust outwards. Mihawk stood completely still until the fool was a few feet away. The over-sized shield had moved close enough for Mihawk to throw his blade directly into his center, short-circuiting his flames, and reducing him to a metal nutcase. With one swift motion, Mihawk pulled the large blade again from his back and cut every strap holding the armor in place. Falling with a thud, the armor dented the surface of the already cracked deck of the Baratie.

"I've never wiped out before, but this time I'm all washed up. Ghin, protect… protect Don Kr…." Pearl passed out, and with that, Ghin stepped up to the plate.

"Boy, it seems you have another challenger." Nobody had noticed with all the excitement, but Chef Zef was helping Sanji to his feet, apparently refusing to lose.

"We're not through with that fight yet Ghin. I'm still standing, and as I said, I'd rather die than let you take Bartie."

Sanji broke out of Zef's grip, nearly falling to his knees as he did so. His ribs had to be cracked, or at least fractured, and his legs refused to work properly. It suddenly occurred to Sanji that without being able to put much support on his upper body, it would be impossible to pull any of his powerful kicks.

"Sanji, last time I only broke your ribs… this time, I'll break your spirit!"

Ghin charged at Sanji, just as he had in their first fight. This time, Sanji didn't dodge. The mallets came flying; one for his head, the other for his right leg. Going against his code, Sanji grabbed a mallet with each hand.

"I thought you didn't fight with your hands? Are you so scared of death that you would betray your oath?"

"I would rather die than break an oath under normal circumstances, but this isn't a normal circumstance wouldn't you say? I won't let you touch the Baratie, no matter what."

Sanji's left leg shout out, kicking Ghin behind his knee. Ghin tried to free himself of Sanji's grip, which had shifted from the mallets to his wrists during the kick, but to no avail. Sanji brought his right knee straight up into the man's chin.

Ghin dropped his mallets as he fell to the deck. As an ending note, Sanji broke another vow. He kicked Ghin in his left ribs, though he had sworn not to hit a man while he was down. Feeling disgusted with himself, Sanji headed back inside the Baratie, nearly collapsing on the way to his room. It had been a long day and Sanji needed a nap.

"Well… now that the side show has ended… I'd say it's time for the main event wouldn't you agree Krieg?" It was the first time Mihawk had ever said the man's name, and again shock befell the crowd. The admiral's crew began chanting his name in support. Nobody had ever defeated the great Don Krieg.

To start the match off, Krieg fired several rounds from his shield, before quickly switching it into his trusty spear. Mihawk had deflected every bullet with a horizontal block from his large, ebony sword. He slowly walked towards Don Krieg, rain pouring all around them. It was starting to get dark.

"I have a dinner appointment with some important people in a few hours, so I'd like to finish you quickly." Mihawk looking as cocky as ever continued his slow walk towards the admiral, sword pointing down in a lazy, but oddly menacing way.

Krieg charged towards the legendary swordsman with his most powerful weapon, making contact in a downward stroke against Mihawk's own blade. The explosion had absolutely no effect on the sword. Krieg jumped back a bit and fired his hidden flamethrower, managing to strike the sword, but not it's owner.

Instead of burning red and becoming easily breakable like a normal sword however, the gems near the hilt of the sword began to glow a deep blue. With one motion, Hawkeye cut off the flamethrower, and destroyed the spear, which exploded in Krieg's hand.

The admiral however refused to give up, throwing a net over Mihawk. The swordsman simply stood inside the rope entrapment, a look of amusement crossing his face. Krieg tried with all his might to throw Mihawk into the ocean, but he wouldn't budge. It was obvious that the swordsman was putting very little effort into standing still.

"STOP TOYING WITH ME YOU FREAK! YOU'RE ONE OF THOSE CURSED DEVIL FRUIT-EATERS AREN'T YOU!"

"How insulting." Mihawk cut through the net with one sweep of his mighty sword, charging towards Krieg. Suddenly, he vanished, reappearing behind the admiral. With a quick thrust of the hilt, Hawkeye shattered the golden armor as Krieg fell to the deck in a state of disbelief.

With that, the shichibukai's job was finished as he vanished yet again. The defeated pirates grabbed the admiral and his two commanders, and stole two lifeboats from the Baratie while the chefs celebrated their not-so-hard-fought victory. They would never return to the ship of warrior chefs.

With Luffy gone, the title of chore boy had been placed on poor Ussop. He didn't get to enjoy the party much as he was serving plates and cleaning dishes, but the worst part was that all the ships were now gone… he was stranded.

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_**Ok… that's the end of this chapter… much longer than I wanted it to be… but now we get to the good stuff! I didn't want to focus so much on the Baratie, but it was necessary for my timeline to work properly… you'll see in later chapters.**_

_**I appreciate the feedback.**_


	3. Stranded

_**Here's where the story gets good (in my opinion of course).**_

_**I appreciate the reviews, keep 'em coming folks!**_

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_Early morning…_

Images of thunder, lightning, and water were flooding through Luffy's barely conscious mind. He had just imagined sailing through a vicious storm, but not being able to move even an inch as water flowed relentlessly into the little craft. He didn't know why he would be out in such a storm, but what really confused him was that he couldn't move. Luffy didn't have many nightmares, but this was definitely the worst he had ever had.

Becoming just a little more aware of himself, Luffy tried to wake up. He could feel the grogginess very slowly wearing off and to his surprise, he still couldn't move. He didn't know what it was, but there was something warm spilling over his torso and head. Wondering what the thick liquid was, Luffy (with great difficulty) opened his eyes to see… ZORO ON TOP OF HIM BLEEDING!

Luffy became frantic. He tried his best to squirm, but the swordsman weighed a lot more than the straw hat boy, and he was virtually dead weight. DEAD… no… Luffy didn't even want to think about that word.

Finally calming down, Luffy managed to roll Zoro on to his back and sit up. Both of their bodies were covered in blood, which was spilling from a nasty looking cut across Zoro's chest. Luffy was in a state of numb shock. He couldn't believe what he was seeing, couldn't react to it, and worse, he wasn't trying to help Zoro like he should be.

Finally getting the use of his body back, Luffy screamed "ZORO!! ZORO PLEASE BE OKAY PLEASE!! ZORO WAKE UP!! WAKE UP!!" Luffy had begun to panic. When he was young, Luffy had learned how to check for a pulse, and even how to give CPR, though he didn't think he'd ever use it. Checking Zoro's limp wrist, Luffy felt a very small pulse. It was however, very faint and Luffy knew if he didn't act fast… well… he needed to move fast!

Quickly dashing into the little built-in cabin aboard the tiny ship, the captain searched for any kind of first aid kit. He needed some bandages, a blanket, hot water, and a towel. Forgetting he was out at sea, Luffy scratched the hot water off the list, settling for salt water from the ocean. It wasn't as warm as it needed to be, but hopefully it would be enough.

Luffy ran back up to the deck, more focused than he had ever been in his entire life, and tore off the remnants of Zoro's shirt. With the towel and sea water, Luffy cleaned the area around the cut, as well as his face. The captain knew that salt would sting in a wound, but Zoro was unconscious, so maybe he wouldn't be too pissed off. Somehow, Luffy managed to prop Zoro's body onto his own enough to wrap the bandages around his body, effectively stopping the bleeding.

Deciding he had done all that he could for the time being, Luffy threw one blanket over Zoro's body, and one on his own lap, laying the swordsman's head on top. Luffy leaned against the cabin wall with one hand on Zoro's face, the other on his bandaged chest, hoping some heat would transfer from his bruised body to Zoro's half-dead one.

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_Early afternoon…_

Luffy was dreading what he might find the next time he woke up, even before he'd gone to sleep. His mind was still racing from the events of that morning. How reassured he was to find that Zoro was breathing evenly and had regained a touch of color. He looked just like a sleeping angel at that moment, but Luffy knew if he ever so much as hinted at that… he'd get the noogie from hell.

Slowly, Zoro began to toss back and forth, his face screwing up, as-if in a nightmare. Noticing this, Luffy stroked his hair whispering that it would be alright. Everything was fine. There was nothing to worry about. Luffy was here. At the last sentence, Zoro quieted down, a small, but noticeable grin spread across his face. Before the swordsman returned to his motionless state, he whispered one word… "Luffy."

Luffy had, for some time, known that he liked Zoro more than the others, but he didn't know what it meant. All that the young captain knew, was that he liked being around Zoro, and Zoro didn't seem to mind being around him. When Mihawk had dealt that seemingly fatal blow to Zoro back at the Baratie, Luffy felt a twinge of pain in his heart, and that's when he realized that he didn't just like Zoro, he really cared about him. All these feelings were new to the boy, but they were just another adventure to explore to the boy. Who knows, there may even be treasure at the end of the adventure.

After several hours, Luffy noticed that he had never sat still for so long, or gone without eating for that matter. Remembering the small cabin, Luffy reluctantly shifted Zoro back onto the deck, earning a grunt from the sleeping swordsman who seemed just as unhappy, though he was unconscious. Luffy opened the icebox, noting a very small selection of food. The captain knew that there wasn't even enough to make a proper meal for himself, so he decided to save what little there was for Zoro, who would need food to recover his strength.

Suddenly wondering where they were, Luffy ran back up to the deck, just noticing for the first time that the sail had been destroyed in the storm the night before and there was no land or ships within sight. For the first time in his memory, Luffy was genuinely scared. Starving had always been the worst possible way to go in Luffy's mind, but right now he just couldn't worry about such things.

Deciding that Zoro needed some more attention, Luffy headed back. Imagine his surprise when Zoro was leaning against the cabin where Luffy had rested merely 10 minutes ago, trying to stand up!

"ZORO YOU'RE OKAY!! OH MY GOSH I THOUGHT YOU WERE…" The captain trailed off, remembering that he wasn't supposed to think of that word. Luffy forced Zoro back into a sitting position against the cabin, taking a seat next to him.

"mghnm… wha… what happened?" The swordsman, having slept for nearly a day straight was very groggy and could barely string words together, let alone coherent sentences for the moment. Luffy, very energetically, explained the events at the Baratie, that morning, and about the storm. Once or twice, Zoro drifted into slumber, but was immediately woken up by the now lonely Luffy. Several hours alone trying to take care of somebody when you're ADHD with no food will do that to you.

As the day got later, Zoro became more conscious of things around him. The first thing he'd seen when he woke up had been Luffy's blood-covered face, realizing that the boy must have forgotten completely about himself. He managed to eat what little the ship had to offer, consisting of a loaf of bread and some questionable cheese. Zoro was more than shocked when Luffy refused to eat any, noting the boy's somber mood.

The two fell asleep against the cabin wall not too long after, but they weren't warm, and they certainly weren't comfortable that night. As they slept however, a large vessel drifted closer and closer until it came along side the ship. Neither Zoro nor Luffy heard or felt anything, but the men somehow managed to dock with the small craft and abduct it's two member crew…

This couldn't be good, right?

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_**I know, it's not fair that the Baratie got nearly twice as much writing, but there was fighting!! And there will be some better stuff in the next chapter… I promise! **_


	4. Rescued?

_**Appreciate the reviews, keep 'em coming! This story is going to be EPIC!**_

_**My favorite chapter so far, hope you enjoy...**_

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Luffy woke up the next morning, feeling somewhat out of place. He remembered falling asleep against the cabin wall on the little craft, but he didn't remember boarding a large ship, and crawling into a brig bed across the room from Zoro. Luffy noted a pirate guard outside of his cell, but as soon as he tried to speak, the guard ran out of the room, apparently looking for someone.

"Zoro… Zoro wake up." Zoro felt a bit guilty. The truth was, he had been awake for quite some time, bud hadn't bothered to move. The swordsman got chills as his captain's hot breath brushed lightly across his ear in a calm whisper. It felt very seductive… Zoro mentally slapped himself for having dirty thoughts about someone as innocent as Luffy.

Luffy started shaking his first mate, now talking in a rather loud voice. Zoro finally realized what was going on and shot up, knocking Luffy in the head, and sending him across the room. Great… now not only was his chest split open, but his head was probably cracked from that skull of Luffy's. Noticing his chest for the first time since he'd woken up, there were new bandages and the pain had significantly decreased.

"So… the two of you are awake finally." Turning to the bars of the cell they were being kept behind, there was a tall, middle-aged man with dark brown hair and a large red coat. "What we're you doing so far from the world all by yourselves?" Before Luffy could say anything that could get them into trouble, Zoro spoke.

"We're outcasts from Don Krieg's armada. We were sent out on a small ship to die slowly of starvation. We'd like to join your crew if that's possible." Zoro noticed Luffy's twinge at the mention of the word 'starvation', trying very hard to stay serious in front of this captain.

"And why were you outcast? Did you make an attempt on his life… or simply refuse to carry out an order?" Crap. Zoro hadn't thought that far ahead, only making up that part of the story as he went. Before he could even think of a logical response, Luffy burst out with the most brilliant excuse ever.

"I was trying to buff his shiny gold armor, but accidently dropped a gauntlet into the sea. Don Krieg got real mad at me, and Zoro tried to defend me. Admiral Krieg beat Zoro in a sword fight really easy and threw us both into a lifeboat to punish us for being bad." It was the most innocent and perfect lie he had ever heard in his life, but somehow Zoro knew the captain would believe it.

"Zo… ro… is that what you said your name was?? THE LEGENDARY PIRATE-HUNTER RORONOA ZORO?!"

"NO! Zoro is short for… ahh… Zorox. Besides, that guy is unbeatable in a fight, I got beat really easy by Don Krieg, just like Liffy told you." Zoro shot Luffy a look to let him know not to correct him.

"Well, if your story is true, you may join my crew. I am Captain Imuzen. I recognized immediately that you were not the legendary Zoro. He uses three swords, and you have but one. Ahhh… Zorox, Liffy, I'd like to introduce you to our doctor. This is Chopper."

A very short man stepped out from behind the captain. He wore a full-body red cloak, with a red hat on top. The strange part, was the fact that there were, what looked like, reindeer antlers on top. The man's face couldn't be made out, but it seemed as if he were wearing some sort of animal mask anyway.

The two were let out of their cell, and went to take a tour of the ship with the odd doc. The captain seemed quite relieved to get away from the creepy man and his two newest crew mates, but the feeling was somewhat mutual. For most of the day, they were quiet, only speaking when asked a question, or if Luffy just happened to ask for food. Needless to say, there were three lunches that day.

Chopper bid them farewell for the moment, heading above deck to his medical station. The two former straw-hats headed below to join their new crew for a celebration party, in their honor of course. They slowly walked towards the back of the room, trying their best to get away from the noise and booze. Luffy was holding tight to Zoro's arm, trying not to get separated from the only familiar face.

Suddenly, Luffy was ripped from Zoro's arm and tossed against the wall. A large pirate had pinned Luffy to the wall, and was obviously ready to have his way with the young captain.

"DON'T YOU LAY A SINGLE GOD DAMN HAND ON HIM OR I'LL CUT THEM OFF AND FEED EM TO YOU BY FORCE!!" Zoro tried his best to get through the crowd, but he was considerably weaker than he normally was and there were a lot of people holding him back. The pirate stripped off Luffy's shirt, thoroughly enjoying the fight the dark-haired teen was putting up.

Luffy tried to stretch his body out to escape from the man, but his wrists just wouldn't budge. He couldn't stretch. It had nothing to do with the man holding him down, but Luffy felt like an ordinary human. A wave of fear spread over Luffy. Suddenly, he stopped fighting. His body wouldn't respond to rational thought, his brain was shutting down, Luffy was frozen.

Then, a huge explosion was heard in the distance. The crew scattered up to the deck to see what was happening. Luffy fell to the ground, shirt-less and frozen in shock, next to Zoro who had been forced down and was now crawling to the boy.

"Luffy. Luffy it's me. It's Zoro. You're okay, c'mon bud wake up. Snap out of it Luffy!" Zoro shook the boy until his eyes became fixed again. The first thing Luffy remembered was Zoro's face inches from his own, a look of terror and pain spread across it. Luffy looked directly into the swordsman's eyes and dove into his chest, nearly knocking the man over.

In between tears and sobs as Luffy hugged his first mate for dear life, "Zoro I…I was so scared! I couldn't over…I couldn't stretch… I… I couldn't…"

"Luffy. It's okay. I'm here now and I won't ever let anyone hurt you again. I promise." Luffy's sobs became quieter as his tears streamed down Zoro's bandaged chest. The swordsman had never seen his captain so vulnerable. Then, there came a shake as if the ship had been struck by an earthquake.

Chopper came running below deck, announcing that the Marines were attacking the ship.

"This is our chance! We can escape on the life boats before they sink this ship! We'll be free! Quickly, follow me." With that, Zoro picked Luffy up in his arms and ran after Chopper. It hurt to put so much pressure against his wound, but the knowledge that Luffy was so safe right by his heart was enough to keep Zoro going.

Suddenly, a shot rang out from behind Zoro, and he fell to his knees, dropping Luffy as he did. Luffy stood up to see Captain Imuzen holding a pistol and pointing it at the straw-hat kid. Chopper turned around and ran towards the fight.

"I'll… I'll kill you. He was the only one that would defend me. He stood up for me. He promised to protect me. He even took a bullet for me! YOU'LL PAY!" Luffy charged towards the captain, ready to use a pistol of his own, the stretchy kind.

"And how do you plan to accomplish that without the powers of your devil fruit? Maybe you should ask your little antler-hatted friend here what I'm talking about?" Chopper's head hung in shame as Luffy dropped to his knees, letting everything sink in. He buried his face in his hands and began to sob as he had just a few minutes before. Zoro, his protector, his friend, had just been shot and he couldn't do anything to help. Luffy was powerless. He didn't know how he could defeat the captain, and get Zoro to a life boat before the already-burning ship collapsed.

The captain brought the pistol directly to Luffy's forehead, but before he could pull the trigger, a large beast covered in fur tackled the captain to the ground. The gun fell off the deck of the ship and into the sea below. The massive beast was trying to pin the captain to the deck of the ship, but he was putting up one hell of a fight.

The creature turned around yelling at Luffy to run. Luffy quickly ran to Zoro's side and tried to lift him, tears still streaming down the sides of his face. This was difficult to think about with the gum-gum power, but without it, this was an impossible task. He focused on flipping Zoro over and trying to drag him by his arms, careful not to let his head hit the deck.

The creature, having finished with the captain grabbed Zoro off the ground and threw Luffy over his shoulder, making a break for the escape crafts. Several pirates were already piling into the last one when the creature jumped in, almost shattering the floor as he did so. The terrified pirates either jumped into the water below or scampered back onto the sinking pirate vessel. Luffy passed out from the shock of it all, as they made their escape from the ship, and into freedom.

* * *

_**On the next piece of One Piece: Chopper explains Luffy's condition and the trio land on a seemingly deserted island. Meanwhile, Nami has an interesting encounter with someone very close to her captain and someone washes up on the deck of the Baratie with Sanji and Usopp. **_

_**Stay tuned and keep that commentary coming!**_

_**To Be Continued…**_


	5. Meetings

_**Thanks for your patience, this is the first completely new chapter in THREE YEARS! I plan to keep going, my writer's block is definitely gone. **_

_**As always, Please R&R, it really motivates me to write when people are enjoying and participating. I think you'll enjoy the direction that I'm taking this story, so stick with me people.**_

* * *

As the cool, ocean breeze swept across the hull of Going Merry, Nami couldn't help but believe how gullible her "crew" had been. She had successfully turned a nasty combat situation into a profitable venture for herself. With this ship as leverage, she would surely be able to free Cocoyashi Village from Arlong's grip… at the very least it would bring her closer to that goal of 100 million berry.

She had predicted the storm that swept through the Baratie's immediate area and knew it would allow her to escape without pursuit. Feeling quite impressed with herself, Nami was too distracted to notice as three figures came onboard.

"I don't think this ship is yours." The man's voice startled Nami and she fell out of the chair she'd just been in.

"Oh yeah? What makes you think that? While we're at it, why are you on my ship?" For clothing, the man wore only a pair of black shorts and boots, along with a bright orange hat. He had several prominent tattoos, including the one down his left arm which read "ASCE" with the S crossed out. Nami was prepared to fight if necessary, but he looked strong. She would let nothing keep her from fulfilling her end of the bargain with Arlong though.

"Mee-oww. Kitty has some claws huh?" He snapped his fingers as two women appeared from behind him. How did they get there? Were they here all along? Nami hadn't even noticed their presence… she really was losing her touch.

The first woman wore a lavish white coat and hat over a purple, two-piece ensemble. She had hair like a raven's and was quite intimidating on her own. The other was obviously younger, more of a girl really. She had long, blue hair and wore a belly-dancer-esque-type outfit with combinations of purple, pink, blue and white. Though she looked aggressive, it was obviously a mask. Nami had always been good at reading people and this girl was no killer.

The man spoke up as the tension was building among the group, "Maybe things are getting a little out of control… I don't want to cause any fights. Girls, be nice and introduce yourselves. And Nami, please put that stick away… you won't be needing it, not that it would be effective anyway." The navigator was in no state of mind to be civil at the moment and charged towards him, ready to defend her ship.

There was a sudden movement from the dark-haired woman and Nami was on the deck with something grabbing at her ankles. As she turned to look back, she noticed that they were… HUMAN HANDS! And they were sprouting right out of the ground!!

The man picked her up then and spoke once more, "I told you that wouldn't be effective. _Sigh_, women. Now listen, my name is Ace. This is Robin, and over there is Vivi. We're going to ask you some questions, and then we'll figure out what to do with this ship. Believe me, I know that it isn't yours."

At that moment, Ace's stomach grumbled and he nearly dropped Nami as a result. He decided that they would have a meeting over some food and strolled off towards the kitchen leaving Nami in an extremely confused state. 'What the hell is going on??'

* * *

Back at the Baratie, Usopp had just finished his latest batch of chores. Sanji was a slave driver in the wake of his restaurant's latest brawl, but that was nothing compared to the amount of work Zef had assigned him. He had been working from sun-up to sun-down for four days now and was finally allowed a day off.

Usopp remembered exactly how that conversation with Zef had gone after the fighting was over…

"_Oye! Long Nose! You're the newest member of our restaurant!"_

"_What? No, I can't. I'm part of Luffy's crew and we're gonna sail all the way to One Piece."_

"_Hooooo? Well, I won't stop you from following your dream kid, that is… AFTER YOU PAY FOR ALL THE DAMAGE THAT YOUR NAKAMA DID TO MY SHIP!"_

"_Da…da… damage? B-But it was Don Krieg, not us!"_

"_Sonny, it takes two to fight. I appreciate you defending us and all, but that doesn't get the ship fixed now does it? You can either help rebuild the ship or wash dishes… it's up to you."_

In the end, Usopp had been stuck with both jobs. He now sat on the ship's edge, staring down into the water. It was a bright and sunny day, much better than the storm that had swept through just a few days prior. Every once in a while, Usopp would catch sight of a fish or some other aquatic wildlife. After a while, he started to see bubbles appear on the surface. The tide was also starting to rock the restaurant's hull, almost as-if a ship was near. Usopp intensified his focus more and more until his nose was mere inches from the water's surface. There was a dark shape growing larger by the second when suddenly, a man leapt out of the sea nearly landing right on top of the sniper.

"AHHHHHH!! HELP! WE'RE UNDER ATTACK, SOMEONE SAVE ME!!"

Usopp was frozen in terror as the man stood over him, a look of cold indifference on his face when suddenly………………..

he passed out.

Usopp began praying to any and every god that would listen as Sanji stormed outside with a contingent of warrior chefs at his back, still not quite ready for a fight. Together, they were able to drag the absurdly heavy, blue haired man in a Hawaiian shirt and speedo into the restaurant. Sanji was going to be more careful about who he helped from now on, after that whole Ghin incident. A pulsing pain near his ribs reminded him of that particular mistake yet again.

* * *

As the sun rose, Chopper was glad to have remembered some of his medical supplies in the chaos of the previous day. Luffy had been passed out for a solid 14 hours already, but the boy was breathing normally. Zoro was also unconscious, but the doctor was far more concerned about his health. It was rare even for a ship's doctor to see injuries of this swordsman's magnitude. He had a cut that even now refused to heal properly, occasionally bleeding, sometimes profusely. In addition to that, he had been shot just a few inches from his already weak heart.

That Chopper was able even to save the man's life was an enormous credit to his skills, but under the circumstances and with his limited supplies… he deserved at the least, a cookie. Unfortunately, the only edible thing with him was a rumble ball.

After a bit, the straw-hat captain began to stir. He had been mumbling in his sleep, but nothing coherent, occasionally shedding a tear and clutching himself with white knuckles. Chopper cautiously leaned over Luffy, having applied the last of his bandages to Zoro. There faces were inches apart, the doctor making several notes about existing scars and birthmarks when… his eyes shot open.

There was a pause.

"WAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH! MEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAT!!"

Chopper jumped into the air with a shriek. He had just saved this boy's life and now he wanted to eat him?? The doctor grabbed Zoro's sword, pointing it at the boy from the opposite end of their small raft.

"Liffy, wait, I'm not food, I'm a doctor, I saved your life, remember??"

"Eh? Meat that talks? I bet you taste great! Come here!"

Luffy went to extend his arms only to find out that… they wouldn't. It was then that Luffy remembered the pirate ship, the evil captain, the perverted pirate wannabe-rapist, the little doctor with the weird animal face, and… ZORO.

"Oh no Zoro!! Are you alright?? WAKE UP! SAY SOMETHING ZORO!!"

"Liffy it's alright, he's fine. It's okay. I took care of his wounds, he just needs some rest…"

"B-But… If I… It's all my fault."

Luffy lay his head down on the bench next to Zoro and began to silently cry. He hadn't cried for real since Ace had left their village three years before him, he had promised his older brother that he would be strong. Ace had done his best to make Luffy into a man, and everything was going in that direction… until this week. Luffy had had more emotional breakdowns in the last few days than anyone in history. Probably more than any two people combined!

He had no tears left, but he just felt so alone and sad. He was running the emotional gambit again, fearful of the captain, confused about the doctor, lonely for his ship and crew, distraught over Zoro, and most profoundly, naked at his own weakness. Interupting his captain's silent pity party, Zoro ran his hand through the boy's hair, letting him know that he was still there.

'That's right, I still have Zoro. Chopper said that he'll recover and everything will be fine. I'll get my crew back together and then we'll go get One Piece! And meat. Lots and lots of meat. Mmmmmmmmmm."

Luffy began to drool at the thought of food, which his stomach was now reminding him of. The groan was almost deafening and lasted for several seconds. When the captain looked up, Chopper's eyes were bulging out of his head and his arms in a protective stance.

"DEMON!! WHERE IS IT? I HEARD IT! IT'S GONNA GET US, SAVE ME!!"

"Heh, that's just Luffy's stomach… he… needs food. Ugh."

Zoro tried to get himself into a seating position, but the doctor wouldn't allow it.

"We're heading for that island over there; you need to rest till then."

"But, I need to catch some food. If Luffy doesn't get something soon, he'll eat us by mistake."

The doctor suffered another minor anxiety attack at the thought of becoming this boy's dinner and promised to take care of food when they reached land. Both of his shipmates were content to wait that long and Zoro took another extended nap.

Meanwhile, Luffy was testing out his body, noticing that it could still be stretched externally… he just couldn't do it himself. He had seemed so happy-go-lucky after finding out Zoro's condition, but Luffy suddenly became somber and calm.

"Hey, Chopper. What did you do to me."

He had been hoping that they boy would avoid that particular subject, at least for a time.

"It's complicated and you probably don't want to know."

"I said tell me. Now."

In the short time that he'd know Luffy, Chopper had never seen him so serious about anything, but he was getting used to the sporadic mood changes of the straw-hat captain already.

"I gave you an injection of a specially-developed saline solution, specifically formulated for use in devil fruit users."

There was a pause as the two stared into each other's eyes. Luffy's left eye started twitching a little, and then it became entire body spasms.

"In-in—injection?! Like A SHOT?! I HATE SHOTS!! OWW OWW OWWW IT HURTS!!"

Luffy was clutching his right arm as-if it would fall off if he didn't. He then began rolling around screaming like a baby.

"Luffy. Luffy… LUFFY!!"

The boy paused lone enough to look at Chopper's stern face.

"I stuck you in the left arm."

There was another pause as Luffy switched to clutching his left arm for dear life. The little reindeer was beginning to get a headache so he tried to take a nap. The whole time, Zoro was smirking about their current situation. It was nice for other people to take the burden called Luffy off his hands for a little bit and suffe… umm… experience his… unique personality for a while. It was almost sundown, and they would likely dock before nightfall, everyone was resting peacefully for the time. The real work would begin once they reached land.

* * *

_**Well, there is certainly a plot emerging, I wonder if you can see any of it? **_

_**Keep them reviews coming, I promise that each chapter will be even better than the last! I need motivation though… so… do your part and I'll do mine!**_


	6. Agreements and Arrangements

_**Chapter 6**_

_**Sorry it took me so long to update! I'm pretty busy right now and I'm trying to keep three stories up during all this craziness but I'm doing my best.**_

_**I'll place more emphasis on the story with the best feedback and reviews though so please feel free to drop one!**_

_**Enjoy.**_

* * *

Nami was returning to the kitchen after a quick restroom break when she noticed Vivi on deck.

"Vivi… what… is that thing??" The "thing" she was referring to happened to be an oversized yellow duck/bird that Vivi was trying to bathe, mostly unsuccessfully.

"Shhh Nami-san, her name is Carou. And she's very sensitive."

Carou was too busy squirming to realize that she'd just been insulted.

"Is Ace still getting dinner ready?"

"He should be just about done by now, shall we check on him?"

"Done already?? It can't be a very good meal… honestly, men just have no business in the kitchen don't you agree Vivi-chan?"

She simply smiled to herself as the two entered the kitchen to see Ace doing what he does best… barbecue.

Nami's jaw dropped.

"You're a… a… ummm… a… devil fruit user??"

The man had already used his powers to cook about ten pieces of meat, with just a few left to go.

"Yes ma'am, Fire Fist Ace is the name. Pleasure to meet you properly."

She was in such shock to see flames flying out of his hands that she hadn't even realized Robin was in the room. The dark-haired woman was currently enjoying a full-bodied massage, courtesy of herself and her 2 extra pairs of arms.

Nami thought to herself, 'Guess my luck's run out this time, there's no way that I can overpower these monsters. Hmm… maybe I could take them if they were sleeping. It's worth a shot."

"Yosh! Dinner time and then we'll talk some more Miss Navigator. Now let's see… that's one for Robin… one for Vivi… one for you… and the rest for me. Enjoy!"

"The rest?? That's TEN STEAKS!"

* * *

The man in the speedo was laying in a bed aboard the Baratie. Surrounding his bed were Sanji, Patty, Zeff, and Usopp. The man had begun to stir and everyone wanted to know his story.

"Co…"

"Co…?"

"Need… Co…"

"Step aside everyone, hot food coming through. My special chicken noodle soup recipe is guaranteed to bring him back from the dead. You should be grateful for this meal, shitty drifter." Sanji offered the hot, steaming bowl to the man, only to have it swatted away instantly, the bowl shattering against the wall.

Zeff and Patty had to use all their strength to keep Sanji from killing the man.

"WHY YOU UNGRATEFUL BASTARD, HOW DARE YOU WASTE FOOD!"

Meanwhile, Usopp had put his ear to the man's face to hear him properly.

"OYE, everyone, he says that he wants Cola! I'll get him one."

Returning a short minute later, Usopp extended the bottle to their strange drifter.

_Opens chest, inserts bottle, everyone's mouth drops, silence as chest panel is closed_

"SUUUUUUUPPEEEEEERRRRRR!!"

The man leapt to his feet and began a series of poses.

"SOO COOOOOOL!!" Usopp and Patty both joined in.

"OYE DON'T ENCOURAGE HIM!!" Sanji and Zeff said in unison.

* * *

Neither Luffy nor Zoro really had the strength to be hunting animals at the moment, so instead they collected firewood along with fruits and vegetables. Chopper was hunting meat for the starving young captain's bottomless stomach. They didn't understand how such a small and peaceful doctor was going to hunt big game, but Chopper assured them that he'd bring something back.

This was a very difficult assignment for the little reindeer as he had once been full animal himself. The Human Fruit had made him into something more, but he still quite clearly understood the animals as they ran in terror, screaming things only Chopper could understand. Worse was that one of them had realized his intent and what he was himself.

"Why? Why are you doing this?? You aren't a carnivore… Reindeer don't eat meat! Stay Away!! Please, I have children!!"

The doctor hadn't stopped crying since he'd began his hunt, but he trusted Luffy 100 when he'd said that it was either wildlife, or Chopper for dinner.

_**Back at camp**_

Zoro and Luffy were sitting around the fire.

"Luffy, I wish we had some marshmallows. I want smores."

"Ahhh good idea Zoro I want some too!"

"And hot cocoa."

"Yeah!"

"And steak with potatoes."

"YEAH!!"

"And beer. Lots and lots of beer."

"YE… uhh.."

"What, Luffy you don't like beer?"

"Zoro, you shouldn't drink so much."  
"I've heard that one before."

"Really, it isn't good for you…"

"Don't worry so much Luffy, it'd take more than some booze to take me out."

"You know Zoro… I was really worried about you."

"I know Luffy, sorry I lost. Thank you for saving me."

"I don't really care that you lost Zoro, I just care that you live. You're an important nakama to me so I should be able to protect you."

"Everything's fine now, don't beat yourse…"

"I cried Zoro." Luffy was now staring out across the ocean with a serious look on his face.

"…"

"I cried really hard. Harder than I've ever cried before." He was fighting back the sniffles.

"Luffy…"

The boy started laughing cheerfully.

"Anyway, let's get some food! I'm STARVING!!"

As his captain walked off to look for Chopper, Zoro sat by the fire staring at the boy. There was a lot to digest.

* * *

Sanji was addressing the blue-haired cyborg as he dished up some more soup for the crew.

"The name's Franky huh?"

"Yeah. I just need to buy all your cola and I'll be on my way."

"Cola? Now that I think about it, you put that in your chest earlier. What do you need that for anyway?"

"It powers my SUPER body. I don't need to eat or drink as long as I have Cola."

"Incredible…"

"So, do you have more where that one came from?"

"Yeah, sure. Let me ask you first though, what is your goal? What are you doing out here?"

"I have some business with a fishman. That's all I'm gonna say about it."

"Hmm a fishman huh? It's said that they have beautiful mermaids."

"Heh. They're not all beautiful, trust me."

"Well, I'd still like to see one. Maybe cut up some of those fishmen for dinner. Mind if I tag along?"

Usopp had been spying on their conversation through a cracked door when Zeff startled him from behind. The long-nose tumbled through the door with a face plant.

"Ummm… hey guys… uhh… fancy meeting you here eh?"

Sanji looked from Usopp to Franky and spoke again

"Long nose over here comes too."

"There's not much space… are you sure? There might be fighting too. You two had better not hold me back if you're gonna follow me around."

Sanji smirked.

"We won't be a hindrance. When do we leave?"

_**Later that night**_

The small group had loaded the cyborg's shark submarine up with lots of cola and as much food and water as they could stuff in it.

"So you're sure that you wanna come huh?"

Sanji lit up a cigarette and nodded. Usopp climbed onboard.

"Oye cook, no smoking on my ship."

"That might be a deal breaker."

"I'm not budging."

…….

………

………….

"Tch, fine." Sanji gave in and loaded the ship with a bag full of lollipops. Of course, he brought his cigarettes for when they landed. This voyage had better be short. As they were about to head off, Zeff strolled onto the dock to say his goodbyes.

"Sanji, take care of yourself."

"You too geezer."

"Remember to change those bandages and take it easy. You aren't fixed up yet kid."

They waved farewell to the Baratie crew and headed off for Arlong Park.

* * *

Chopper and Zoro were taking turn on watch tonight, so the reindeer had gone straight to sleep after dinner. The swordsman noted that he only ate the produce and seemed much more somber than usual.

Luffy on the other hand was still stuffing his face an hour later. The boy looked like an enormous balloon.

"Oye Luffy, I think you ate an entire species."

"Yea probably, we should get food more often so I don't do that."

"BAKA you eat like that every day!"

He didn't hear a reply, so Zoro got up to take a better look. Luffy was passed out on his back snoring like no tomorrow. You'd think he'd been asleep for several hours at the rate he was going.

Cursing Luffy under his breath, Zoro propped himself against a tree and continued to stare at the sleeping captain. It could have been minutes, but more likely it was hours later that Chopper woke to relive him from guard duty.

"Zoro, get some rest."

"Woah, Chopper you surprised me."

"I tend to have that impression on people."

"Before I go, I wanna ask you some questions. I need to ask while Luffy's still asleep in case your answers aren't good for him to hear."

"Is it about the shot?"

"Of course."

"Well, I'll tell you what I can, fire away."

"Right. You're a devil fruit user too aren't you?"

"What? You noticed?"

"I'm not as blind as Luffy. You haven't transformed in front of us, I noticed that you've been very careful, but a couple things gave you away. I remember that the beast who saved us on that pirate ship was on that raft with us… my vision was blurry but I was still kinda conscious."

"Don't tell Luffy, please."

"Why not?"

"Because he'll hate what I did to him even more since I'm the same."

"Then explain to me why him and not yourself?"

"Well, it's kind of scientific but basically…"

There was some rustling nearby and the two stopped to listen. It was just Luffy rolling over in his sleep, muttering something about reindeer meat. Chopper controlled his anxiety and continued the explanation.

"So there's three types of devil fruit users: Logia, Paramecia, and Zoan. I'm a Zoan type while Luffy is a Paramecia type. I change shape to be more like the animal that my fruit was based on… in this case humans. Paramecia types have their bodies chemically altered and that's why the shot affects them. It works to suppress the granted abilities of that user's fruit. It won't affect a Paramecia yet, though honestly I haven't been working that hard to perfect it."

"Then what about Logias?"

"Well, they're gifted with an elemental ability like fire, thunder, wind, darkness, etc. Their bodies don't respond to the shot either. Like I said, it only affects Paramecia types right now."

"I'll ask you more later, but just one last thing. Will Luffy ever be cured of it?"

"I don't have a definite answer to that Zoro. I'm sorry."

"Best guess then."

"I would say yes because I haven't perfected it, but I won't guarantee that."

"Right, good night Chopper. Do what you can."

Zoro went to lay just a few feet from Luffy in case the good doctor decided to pull something during the night. He wouldn't leave his captain's side ever again.

As the group settled into the night, a ship came within visual range of the island. They would land by morning.

* * *

"I'm Luffy's older brother."

"…. You? You're related… to LUFFY??"

"Heh, I see my cute little brother's left a permanent mark on your memory."

"Yeah, in the form of a headache."

Having never met the captain, Vivi and Robin just watched with amusement.

"He means well you know."

"He's single minded."

"And you aren't?"

"He's chasing a fantasy, I'm…."

"… Fighting for your loved ones?"

"What? How do you know that?"

"I have reliable sources. How about I make you a proposition?"

"Why should I trust you?"

"What have you got to lose?"

It was interesting to watch the two fiery personalities clash. What was this proposition that Ace offered Nami? They continued to argue and bicker for several more minutes until all the terms of their contract had been discussed in full. With both parties in agreement, the ship maintained its course for Cocoyashi Village.

* * *

**Well, whatcha think? **

**Next chapter: Of Fishmen, Pirates, and the Scum of the Marines**


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